This tapered form work table is one of only four known nearly identical tables (a second is also present in the White House). Here it is shown with all its drawers and compartments open. Its form and complexity attribute the work to Duncan Phyfe of New York. This desk was made for a variety of tasks including: writing, sewing, or miniature painting. Phyfe was born in Scotland and emigrated to New York in 1784. He became one of the premiere cabinet makers in the United States during the first half of the 19th century, known for blending the previous English Neoclassical and Regency styles together in a distinctive way. Phyfe benefited from his location in New York City on Fulton Street, where he was able to ship his furniture out to the southern States and the rich cotton magnates there, as well as to international ports. The table was a gift of the Richard King Mellon Foundation to the White House in 1971.

These French porcelain serving pieces, including a dinner dish, vegetable dish, soup plate, dessert stand, fruit basket, and dessert plate, were made for the White House by Edouard D. Honoré of Paris in 1846. President James K. Polk ordered this pattern for the state service. The pieces feature gilded rims molded in a scroll design and light green details, as well as a version of the shield from the Great Seal of the United States, although this one contains stars in the chief which are not present on the Great Seal or Presidential Seal, and the scroll containing the motto "E Pluribus Unum." The dessert plates also included a large, hand-painted flower.

This miniature watercolor on ivory portrait of William Thornton was created by Robert Field circa 1800. Dr. William Thornton was born in the British West Indies in 1759 and gained U.S. citizenship in 1787. Thornton moved to Washington, D.C. after President George Washington chose his design for the U.S. Capitol building and appointed him a city commissioner. Considered the "first architect of the Capitol," Thornton held the role of head of the Patent Office from 1802 until his death in 1828. William Thornton and the creator, Robert Field, were acquaintances. This portrait is a part of the White House Collection.

This painting is attributed to William Henry Powell (sometimes known as W.H. Powell), who was a New York City painter and trained under Henry Inman. The painting depicts a group of settlers and their horses around a covered wagon. An American Indian man is in the center of the group and pointing off into the distance, suggesting he is providing directions to the seated figure looking at a map. Powell's "Discovery of the Mississippi by De Soto A.D. 1541" hangs in the United States Capitol Rotunda.

This is the intricately designed trompe-l’oeil marble top of a guéridon, or small table, made by Charles Honoré Lannuier circa 1810. This guéridon (small, circular French table) is made of mahogany, satinwood, rosewood, and possibly sycamore veneers, with gilded brass and marble. The table, a part of the White House Collection, also features an intricate Italian marble top and is considered a Lannuier masterpiece.

This presidential flag was a new design ordered from Arthur E. DuBois and George M. Elsey by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was a sample submitted for President Harry Truman's approval in August 1945. This flag was first publicly flown on October 27, 1945 when the aircraft carrier Franklin D. Roosevelt was commissioned at Brooklyn Navy Yard. The flag presently remains the same except for the addition of two stars to represent Alaska and Hawaii. Although this is the flag of the president's arms, since it lacks the words around the edge, the flag is not a representation of the official Seal of the President. This photograph was taken by William Phillips.

This photograph of a circular mirror with a decorative eagle in the Red Room was shot in such a way that a reflection of the room's furnishings are displayed. The photograph was taken by George Mobley of the National Geographic Service.

This image shows the detail of Hiawatha's Boat, a silver and mirror centerpiece made by Gorham Manufacturing Company of Providence, Rhode Island, in 1871. First Lady Julia Grant purchased the centerpiece, which the artist based on the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem The Song of Hiawatha, at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This image shows the detail of Hiawatha's Boat, a silver and mirror centerpiece made by Gorham Manufacturing Company of Providence, Rhode Island, in 1871. First Lady Julia Grant purchased the centerpiece, which the artist based on the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem The Song of Hiawatha, at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This image shows the detail of Hiawatha's Boat, a silver and mirror centerpiece made by Gorham Manufacturing Company of Providence, Rhode Island, in 1871. First Lady Julia Grant purchased the centerpiece, which the artist based on the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem The Song of Hiawatha, at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This detailed closeup is of a black marble and malachite mantel clock. The clock has three dials (clock, calendar, and barometer) and a thermometer and was made in France. It was purchased from retailer Browne & Spaulding of New York City for the mantelpiece in the Cabinet Room during the Ulysses S. Grant administration. Until the construction of the West Wing in 1902, the Cabinet Room was on the east end of the Second Floor in the Executive Mansion.

This detailed closeup is of a black marble and malachite mantel clock. The clock has three dials (clock, calendar, and barometer) and a thermometer and was made in France. It was purchased from retailer Browne & Spaulding of New York City for the mantelpiece in the Cabinet Room during the Ulysses S. Grant administration. Until the construction of the West Wing in 1902, the Cabinet Room was on the east end of the Second Floor in the Executive Mansion.

This rural landscape by George Henry Durrie was completed in 1853. A native of New England, Durrie often presented idyllic images of farm life, quiet refuges from America's rapid industrialization and escalating social and political tensions. This winter scene depicts members of a small town heading to church on foot and in horse-drawn sleighs.

This is one of a pair of circa 1830-1837 gilded bronze torchères in the White House Collection. They were placed with the Blue Room mantel in the mid-19th century and may have been a gift to President Andrew Jackson by a political supporter. Bates Littlehales photographed the torchere in March 1962 during the John F. Kennedy administration.

This is one of a pair of circa 1830-1837 gilded bronze torchères in the White House Collection. They were placed with the Blue Room mantel in the mid-19th century and may have been a gift to President Andrew Jackson by a political supporter. Bates Littlehales photographed the torchere in March 1962 during the John F. Kennedy administration.

This is one of a pair of circa 1830-1837 gilded bronze torchères in the White House Collection. They were placed with the Blue Room mantel in the mid-19th century and may have been a gift to President Andrew Jackson by a political supporter. Bates Littlehales photographed the torchere in March 1962 during the John F. Kennedy administration.

This rosewood center table is attributed to John Henry Belter of New York. First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln purchased it in 1861 for a guest room. The apron is decorated in carved vines, grape clusters, and roses, and the legs are exotic birds. Bates Littlehales photographed the table in March 1962 during the John F. Kennedy administration.

This is one of a pair of circa 1830-1837 gilded bronze torchères in the White House Collection. They were placed with the Blue Room mantel in the mid-19th century and may have been a gift to President Andrew Jackson by a political supporter. Bates Littlehales photographed the torchere in March 1962 during the John F. Kennedy administration.

This rosewood center table is attributed to John Henry Belter of New York. First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln purchased it in 1861 for a guest room. The apron is decorated in carved vines, grape clusters, and roses, and the legs are exotic birds. Bates Littlehales photographed the table in March 1962 during the John F. Kennedy administration.

This glassware was part of the service made for the White House by C. Dorflinger & Sons of White Mill, Pennsylvania in 1891, when President Benjamin Harrison held office. President Harrison ordered the service to replace the Lincoln glassware, selecting an ornate, newly fashionable design known as the Russian pattern. The pieces shown here include a goblet, a water bottle, an Apollinaris tumbler, an ice cream plate, a finger bowl, and a brandy-and-soda tumbler.

This gilded brass scabbard is part of the saber commissioned by French volunteers who fought in the American Revolution for President George Washington. The French Government presented it to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. Bates Littlehales photographed the scabbard in March 1962 during the John F. Kennedy administration.

This gilded brass scabbard is part of the saber commissioned by French volunteers who fought in the American Revolution for President George Washington. The French Government presented it to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. Bates Littlehales photographed the scabbard in March 1962 during the John F. Kennedy administration.

This gilded brass scabbard is part of the saber commissioned by French volunteers who fought in the American Revolution for President George Washington. The French Government presented it to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. Bates Littlehales photographed the scabbard in March 1962 during the John F. Kennedy administration.

This gilded brass scabbard is part of the saber commissioned by French volunteers who fought in the American Revolution for President George Washington. The French Government presented it to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. Bates Littlehales photographed the scabbard in March 1962 during the John F. Kennedy administration.

This gilded brass scabbard is part of the saber commissioned by French volunteers who fought in the American Revolution for President George Washington. The French Government presented it to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. Bates Littlehales photographed the scabbard in March 1962 during the John F. Kennedy administration.